Document 5b
… The policy [relocation and internment of Japanese Americans] stemmed from a myriad of
motives, including the insecurity of the army’s west coast commander, the racism and hostility of
the Pacific states’ white population, bureaucratic ambitions, and the political advantages
perceived by local, state, and federal officials. The affair involved a variety of officials and
institutions, including high ranking military officers, heads and lower officials of the Department
of Justice and the War Department, the FBI, the Supreme Court, and the president. Many of
these officials knew at the time that the Japanese American community harbored very few
disloyal persons; furthermore, knowledgeable parties in key agencies, such as the FBI and the
Office of Naval Intelligence, long had been aware of those elements and knew that no military
necessity existed to justify so Draconian [harsh] a measure.…
Source: Stanley I. Kutler, “Review: At the Bar of History: Japanese Americans versus the United States,”
American Bar Foundation Research Journal, Spring 1985
According to Stanley Kutler, what was one motive behind the government’s decision to intern Japanese
Americans?
